And these were not just transplanted Who Dats, although there were scores of them in the stands. These were dyed-in-the-wool Patriots fans -- chowder heads -- who have taken a shine to the Saints, just like the rest of America.

It didn't hurt that the Saints vanquished their archrivals, the Indianapolis Colts, in Super Bowl XLIV.

"Any team that beats Peyton Manning is OK with me," one fan jokingly told Colston as he signed autographs.

It has been one big love-fest between New Orleans and New England since last season, when they squared off in Week 12 (the Saints prevailed 38-17 at the Superdome). And the romance continued this week as they began a series of intrasquad workouts before their exhibition opener Thursday night.

Patriots Coach Bill Belichick did not talk to reporters Tuesday but hailed the Saints onMonday as "the best football team in the NFL last year, so we can throw accolades at them all morning. They're good players; they're well coached. They certainly handled us down there in every phase of the game."

Payton returned the compliments Tuesday.

"(Belichick is) a guy that certainly I respect, and when we got to New Orleans in '06 we paid close attention to who was winning in our league -- and clearly we patterned our organization after what New England was trying to accomplish,"

Payton said. "Imitation is the greatest form of flattery. He's someone who's done a great job. They've created a great environment here that we tried to create in New Orleans."

Since Payton took over, he has remade the Saints in the Patriots' image. He built around a star quarterback, recruited tough, intelligent, high-character players and promoted a team-first attitude in the locker room. They even signed two of their players (fullback Heath Evans and cornerback Randall Gay) and traded for another one (tight end David Thomas).

And last season it all came together for him in the form of a Super Bowl title, just like it had for New England in 2001, 2003 and 2004.

You could tell Payton loved sharing the field with the team, coach and program he considers the prototypes, and he was downright ebullient. He signed autographs for 30 minutes after practice, dutifully honoring every request, then entertained a throng of local and national reporters for another 15 minutes.

Payton cracked up the group with his story about meeting Bon Jovi backstage after a concert in 2006 in Dallas.

"He's one of those guys when you have a chance to meet back stage and you're with your wife, there's a chance you might not go home with your wife," Payton joked.It's been that kind of summer for the Saints -- President Obama one day, Bon Jovi the next.

The Super Bowl has vaulted the Saints' star power into another galaxy. Once an afterthought, they now are an attraction. Magazine cover boys. ESPY headliners. Even in New England, where the Patriots reign, and where the Saints have not won a game since Ronald Reagan was in office, they're big news and well-received.

The workouts Tuesday seemed more like soccer friendlies. They were competitive but nothing like the intensity of the intrasquad workouts they had with the Houston Texans last year that ignited several skirmishes.

"People here like the Saints," one local reporter said between practice sessions. "They don't see the Saints as a threat."

But they might be gaining on them. They delivered a beatdown to the Patriots last season en route to the Super Bowl title.

While New England can rightfully lay claim to the NFL's Team of the Decade, the Saints surprisingly finished second to them for the best postseason winning percentage in the decade. Their 5-2 playoff record in the decade tied the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-4) with a percentage of .714.

There was great debate in the Gillette Stadium press box Tuesday about whether the proper spelling of Gillette Stadium site was Foxboro or Foxborough.But this week it's Foxboroux.

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Jeff Duncan can be reached at jduncan@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3404.